


After Happily (Not) Ever After

by sahiya



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: First Time, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-07
Updated: 2011-01-07
Packaged: 2017-10-14 12:56:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/149435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sahiya/pseuds/sahiya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose is beautiful when she sleeps.</p>
            </blockquote>





	After Happily (Not) Ever After

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HonorH](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=HonorH).
  * Inspired by [happily (not) ever after](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/2197) by HonorH. 



> This is a direct sequel to "happily (not) ever after," so if you haven't read that one already (and you should!), do that first.

Rose is beautiful when she sleeps. When Jack wakes, he spends a few minutes just watching her breathe, in and out, the perfect pink bud of her lips parted softly. The memories of his first life are already fading, but he still recalls the longing he felt when he thought about her. His memories of her stayed sharp and clear, while his memories of other friends and lovers faded. But soon, he hopes, they’ll make new memories, and he can let the old ones go for good.

The Doctor, Jack knows without having to look, is gone. Jack decides he can’t do much there that he hasn’t done already, so he rolls out of bed and pads quietly into the bathroom, where he uses the toilet and brushes his teeth. He’s not sure if Rose’s tastes yet extend to fusty morning sex, and he wants their first time to be as perfect for her as possible.

She’s sitting up in bed when he returns, her hair mussed and her sleep shirt slipping off of one shoulder. He sits on the edge of the bed beside her, threads his fingers into her hair, and tugs her forward to kiss her good morning. She lets him, but pulls away after a moment. “No Doctor,” she says sadly.

“No,” Jack says. “I’ll understand if you -”

“No,” she says, quickly. “I mean, yes. Please.” She smiles up at him and he smiles back, delighted by the way her tongue peeks out between her teeth. “Just a mo,” she says, and slips out of the bed to go to the bathroom. Jack takes the opportunity to straighten the bedcovers.

When he looks up, the Doctor is standing in the doorway. He looks like he’s about to bolt. Jack straightens, suddenly more conscious of his nudity; the Doctor is fully armored, including his leather jacket. He steps cautiously toward the Doctor, sees the quick intake of breath and the conscious decision not to flee. He reaches out and slips the jacket off the Doctor’s shoulders. He hangs it on a hook by the door. Then he puts his hand, ever so carefully, on the back of the Doctor’s neck, and kisses him.

The Doctor tastes of cinnamon, tea, and Time. Jack slides his hands beneath the Doctor’s jumper. His skin is much cooler than a human’s, and the sensation stirs memories that are not quite gone yet, of other Doctors and other times. He presses closer, humming wordlessly into the Doctor’s mouth. The Doctor gasps faintly and deepens the kiss, his hand skimming down Jack's back to rest at the base of his spine.

A startled squeak breaks them apart. Rose is standing in the doorway to the bathroom, eyes wide, hair freshly combed. The Doctor tenses, and Jack clamps down on his wrist with one hand to keep him from running out the door.

Rose is the first to find her voice. “Don’t stop on my account,” she says, smiling. The smile widens when Jack reaches a hand out for her. He pulls her in, wraps one arm around her and one arm around the Doctor, before bending his head and kissing her just behind and below her ear. She shivers. “Kiss him,” Jack whispers into her ear. Rose looks up at the Doctor, raises herself up on tip-toe, and kisses him. It’s heartbreakingly sweet and tender, and Jack has the feeling that if it weren’t for him, they would never get around to anything else.

But they _will_ get around to it, he’ll see that they do. For now, he watches, one arm wrapped around each of them still, and lets himself fall completely in love.

He has faith they’ll be there to catch him.

 _Fin._


End file.
